An obsessive desire to clean and organize isn’t something everyone is born with, but I was. Hence my siblings calling me “little miss mother” when we were growing up. I remember far too many times I threatened to “vacuum up” all of my brothers legos, simply because I didn’t like the mess on the floor!

My obsessive desire to clean and stay organized is both a blessing and a curse. It can make me a little CRAZY when I am straightening couch pillows for the 82nd time in a day, even though the dog is just about to jump on the couch followed by the toddler, and I am WAY behind on work,  laundry, or just plain late to something.

But hey, one woman’s crazy can be another woman’s treasure, right? So my dears, I am sharing with you my tips for keeping things tidy amid chaos.

First things first, staying alive!

(oh, oh, oh, oh, staying alive! staying alive! )

 

Your morning routine matters SO much! 

The only way I’ve managed not to kill my fish, plants, or dog in the past year, is that I take care of them before I even have my coffee in the morning. If you don’t’ know me, that’s REALLY saying something!

Once I got in the habit, it is super  simple. It helps me start the day off great because I feel like I have accomplished something, it helps me keep up with my laundry, and the kids are still half asleep zombies in front of the T.v. on the couch while I accomplish all of this!

Tailor your morning routine to fit your priorities.  My morning list goes like this:

1. Switch on coffee pot (yay! something to look forward to!)
2. Put watering can under faucet to start filling up
3. Start filling up washing machine
4. Dump that smelly food into fish bowl. (hey fish, we haven’t forgotten you yet!)
5. Grab almost overflowing watering can and go greet and water plants. Throw some fertilizer on them once every two weeks. This is considered “gardening”. You’re doing GREAT!
6. Take dog out, put food and water in dog bowl.
7. Throw dirty laundry in now full washer.
8. Reward yourself with a cup of coffee and start making breakfast, because the kids have already told you 100+ times…they’re HUNGRY!

Not so bad, eh? This usually only takes me 10-15 minutes.

If that’s all I accomplish that day, at least everything is fed and the laundry mountain is dwindling. However, usually this get-up-and-go routine kickstarts me into a productive day.

 

What does your morning routine look like? I’d love to know what get’s you going! Tell me in the comments! If this tip was helpful, come back next week for part 2… baskets, bins & buckets! Oh my!

 

Thanks for stopping in!

xoxox,

-Anna A.